Tipsheet

New NYT Narrative: Just Because the Woman Didn't Remember Kavanaugh Assaulting Her, Doesn't Mean It Didn't Happen

After destroying what was left of the New York Times' credibility over the weekend, reporters for the newspaper just keep on digging after their latest smear of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. 

As a recap, the NYT published a sexual misconduct accusation against Kavanaugh and left out that the "victim" of the incident didn't remember it happening. After massive pushback, they issued the following correction/disclosure.

Editors’ Note: Sept. 15, 2019
An earlier version of this article, which was adapted from a forthcoming book, did not include one element of the book's account regarding an assertion by a Yale classmate that friends of Brett Kavanaugh pushed his penis into the hand of a female student at a drunken dorm party. The book reports that the female student declined to be interviewed and friends say that she does not recall the incident. That information has been added to the article.

During an interview with WMAL in Washington D.C. Tuesday morning, NYT reporter Robin Pogrebin argued that just because the woman may not remember it happening, she was "very drunk" and therefore, it could have happened. Pogrebin is out with a new book and wrote the story published over the weekend.

"I think it's a distinction to say that she has no memory I mean basically yes, she has said to friends that she has no memory of this but also importantly and what's equally sort of real is that we have a witness, an eye witness, who is highly credible, Max Stier, who is kind of a Washington good government figure who is well known in Washington establishment circles who say this with his own eyes," Pogrebin said. "Remember guys that she was incredibly drunk at that party as was everyone, so I think we're talking about memory here, it's really kind of a questionable issue. There are plenty of things that are conceivable that could happen when people are too drunk to remember them."

The allegation that this happened at a college party 30 years ago was never pushed by the woman, but instead by a Clinton ally Max Stier, the "witness" Pogrebin cites. Stier battled Kavanaugh during the Whitewater scandal in the 1990s and was President Bill Clinton's impeachment lawyer.

Pogrebin essentially argued Stier's political background is irrelevant to his allegations against Kavanaugh.

"Whether or not Max Stier had a partisan agenda, right now Max Stier the organization that he leads is a bipartisan, nonpartisan organization which I think is why frankly he didn't want to come forward and make it a partisan issue," she said. "All we can do is put out the facts which is what we tried to do."

Pogrebin did acknowledge Kavanaugh is a good, family and church going man who is respected on both sides of the political aisle in Washington D.C. She also complained about the "world" making a big deal out of the accusation.

You can listen to the entire interview below: